The Dragon of the Netherworld
by M3rky15
Summary: Five yrs have past since Naraku's death and times have changed. A dark cloud has emerged in the west, carrying a strange connection to the old western lord. It falls into the hands of the past to fix the fallings of the present. A perilous journey ensues
1. Prologue

_Prologue _

The young warrior slowly pushed onwards. His injuries were many, and he was far from the battlefield he had just been in. It was an epic war, one of his firsts now that his father deemed him fit to participate. While he should have felt pride at his victory, the fact that he did not manage to escape unscathed pestered him. Now he was reduced to limping away in the hopes of finding safety….in the hopes of finding his father.

The snow didn't stop falling, and the farther the young warrior walked the more furious the snow began to fall. He grew cold, something very uncommon for him; being a demon of such high pedigree. However, he was unsure of whether the cold was from the snow or the loss of blood. His amber eyes shifted over the pelt on his shoulder, to analyze the path of blood he had left on his trek. The crimson blood was now leaving a puddle on the white ground below. He gritted his teeth at his own weakness. If he was stronger, if he had the power his father had or at least a weapon like his fathers, he wouldn't have been reduced to this. The reminder of his limitations infuriated him. He began pushing himself forward, only for his knee to give out. He felt his heart pounding; pleading for him to stop. His body weight rested against his knee for a single moment. Furry filled him again at his bodies request for rest. He stood to rise, falling directly into the snow. He let out a weak snarl. He tried to use his arms to push forward, but to no avail.

He laid in the cold snow for a few moments, feeling the weight begin to accumulate. Soon it would burry him, and no one would find him. His father's sense of smell would do him no good, not in this environment. His eyes barely stood open, and they focused in on the growing puddle of crimson blood. How much had he been bleeding? He briefly recalled his father's voice, reprimanding him, "_You must know your limits"_

He scoffed at the thought. If his father had no limits, then neither would he. He was destined to defeat his father, to surpass him in every aspect. How could he afford to have limits? He would prove to be undefeatable, like his father was. He came out victorious in his battle, killing any who entered his path. He ignored the injuries he received and fought on, killing many. He was injured only by the higher ranking men, but they too all fell.

His father had made him second in command of the second fleet, while he had battled the first fleet on the opposite field. His father left the foolish wolf demon, Sotoe, in charge of him. The young warrior scoffed at this as well. As soon as the battle began, he ignored Sotoe's commands and dealt with the battle his own way. He overlooked the weak army, and sought out the general and his men. He brought the General of the opposite army to his knees, receiving a fierce blow through his chest as he did so.

Seeing him injured, the general's head men attacked him. They too managed to send many blows his way, but in the end he defeated them. He stood alone, victorious over their corpses. It was then that he realized he was alone, far from the battlefield. The general lured the young warrior into a trap, by luring him far away and having his men attack him. The general's attempts at his life failed, but now the young warrior was heavily injured and alone. He panted heavily, barely able to stand, but he managed to push onward. If he made it through the mountain pass ahead of him he would eventually reach his father.

He didn't make it past the mountain. He couldn't help but think, that his father would have somehow survived the same predicament. His father wouldn't have been foolish enough to be drawn away from the battlefield. His father wouldn't be left injured and helpless to the elements, like he was. His furry built up, but it failed in fueling him. If only he had more power, he would have ended the battle sooner, yet here he was. Was this how it was to end? A foolish death? Not in a glorious battle, in which he had reached his ultimate power but to such an unworthy opponent? Was this the end. His heart tightened at the realization of it all. "_Father….I have failed…"_

His body grew numb, and only his internal anguish warmed him, but soon it was not enough. His body grew heavy under the blanket of snow and his eyelids followed. This was how it would end, it would seem...

* * *

><p>He heard a soft voice first. It was soothing and comforting. It was calling to him. With a single movement it freed him from the hardening wall of ice that was suffocating him. The figure's touch sent waves of warmth through his body, and he greedily wished for more of it, to be surrounded by this figure's warmth. He tried to focus his vision. Who was it? He could not tell. His voice was soft and cracked in a strange way. "Fa-father?…" he spoke weakly, before his head slowly fell back into the figure's lap.<p>

The warm hand touched him face, urging him to wake. He lazily did so, again pleased with the warmth it sent through his body. He heard the voice again, and concentrated on what was being said. He barely made out the words, still slightly incoherent. He knew the voice was soft, and not the booming bass of his father. He was slightly disappointed at this. The voice repeated itself. He successfully made out most of the figure's words. "… badly injured… young one… The elements… with your injuries…little I can do…"

He looked away from the blurry figure, failing to rise. He lacked the energy to keep his eyes open and was being drawn to the possibility of sleep, however whenever his eyes grew heavy, the warmth of the hand would wake him up.

He listened to the voice again, "I…save you…young one…you wish…"

"s-save…me?" he slowly repeated, not liking the sound of his voice.

"Indeed….the bond….save you….eternal….."

"Wh-what….bond?" he felt his eyes begin to close again. No warm hand ushered him awake this time. He was roughly thrown into a sitting position, leaning against the being's arm. The voice called to him again, "You…..must drink…."

"d-drink?" he weakly repeated. A strong whiff entered his nose. It was the sent of blood…only different. He focused on the scent, as it came to his lips. It was not from a container as he supposed, rather it was from a gash from the being's wrist. He sent her an untrusting scowl. Her grip was firm on his neck as she spoke, "Drink…must...trust"

He let his lips open slightly as the crimson drips fell into his mouth. Immediately a strange warmth filled him. It had the taste of blood, but it was different. It was as if he was drinking her...light. The terrorizing cold was leaving. His hands greedily grasped the beings wrists as he drank the strange liquid, stopping only when he subconsciously knew that death was evaded. His head fell back in exhaust and he fought the urge for his eyes to close, un-admittedly scared that they would not open.

He heard the soft voice again. It was whispering to him. Only this time the voice was clear….but he didn't exactly hear it. His eyebrows scrunched in agitated confusion for a second, until he understood. She was speaking into him. "_Our thoughts…"_

"_Yes young one" _she answered

"_Who are you?"_

"_My name is Karu, young one"_

"_Stop referring to me as young one, woman"_

"_My apologies, what should I refer to you as?"_

"_My name is Sesshomaru. The young lord of the Western Province"_

"_I see, my apologies young lord Sesshomaru" _the voice softly cooed with a hint of amusement. _"I was not aware of your station_"

"_Hn" _he snorted

"_You must rest now, young lord Sesshomaru"_

"_I require no such thing"_

"_Oh, but you must" _she gently urged caressing his face softly, _"Sleep, I will be here when you awake in the morning"_

Her pleas did nothing in persuading him, but her soft voice and caressing hands stifled the fear of sleeping. He snorted at her words and fell asleep in her arms, thinking only of his father.

* * *

><p>"My lord, I must advise against this!"<p>

The fierce eyes of the dog shifted to his shoulder, "What choice do I have Myoga?"

The old flea gulped in fear of continuing, not because he was worried about the dangers of the mountain anymore, but rather from further infuriating his lord. "M-master, if I may, this is no ordinary mountain. Those who enter..."

"Let me guess" a new flat tone interjected, "They don't return?"

The dog sent a hard glare to the wolf's words. While under normal circumstances this would not have phased the wolf, he knew better then to push his luck. He awkwardly changed the subject. "So...what's the story Myoga?"

"Not much is certain, but legends say it is cursed. Once you enter...you can never leave; The mountain of everlasting snow..."

"You are permitted to stay" the dog spoke in a firm tone to his companions as he stepped towards his destination. The danger was his alone to face, and he would not put the obligation on the others. His blood...his only son was in danger and that was all that mattered.

Myoga gave a sigh of relief from the wolf's shoulder. "Looks like we lucked out, eh Sotoe?"

The wolf's expression flattened in realization at the flea's actions. "... You didn't even wait for him to finish his sentence before you hopped over here...huh?"

"I was merely following my masters orders!..."

In a quick fluid motion the flea was grasped in the wolf's hands. Ignoring the pleas of help from his palm he followed after his friend into the forest at the base of the mountain."Itsumaru..." the wolf began awkwardly. He was not use to speaking so sincerely about such things. "...I'm...I mean..." he sighed in aggravation at his own complex. Taking a deep breath he placed his hand on the dog's shoulder. "My friend...we will find him. I give my word to that"

"Sotoe..." Itsumaru slowly sighed. "You are my dearest friend..." he turned to the wolf. "Do not force yourself to come with me...it is not your blame"

"I never said it was!" he shot back crossing his arms in insult. He told the little bastard to stand back and protect the front. Not a minute after he was gone. "It doesn't matter either way" he started, "Like hell I'm gonna be left behind and let you have all the fun"

The dog gave a single nod, "Indeed"

* * *

><p><strong>Prologue is finished and will make more sense as the story continues. If you are familiar with my other stories you are aware of Sotoe and Itsumaru, but the story isn't about them. The story focuses on Sesshomaru and Inuyasha. Please review, and enjoy the next chapter!<strong>


	2. Ominous Clouds

**Ominous Clouds **

"What's with the strange weather around here?"

The entire sky was covered with dark clouds. The kind that brought rain, but no rain came. In fact the western territory had been covered with this thick dark weather for a while now. At first not much thought was given about the subject, but the thick demonic aura it brought had caused unrest within the territory; primarily with the demons amongst the region. The humans couldn't be bothered to recognize such signs. If anything the farmers were excited at the prospects of rain.

It was for this reason, and also for the formalities of alliances, that they left the safety of their eastern territory and traveled towards the west, which was under the control of one of the most arrogant lords to exist, if not the most arrogant.

The leader of the traveling trio was a tall dark haired demon. He thought about the journey he had been taking for the past two days, and who he was destined to meet at the journey's end. Maybe it was just natural for wolves to despise dogs, or was it just this dog's particular bloodline that irritated him beyond belief? He paused on the cliff canyon's path to look at the one who had blurted out the pointless question. Or perhaps it wasn't pointless, just obviously unanswerable at the moment. Nevertheless the leader rolled his eyes and looked over his shoulders, "That's the reason we're going west you numbskulls!"

"Hey! Why are you lumping me together with him Koga?" the third wolf, Ginta, voiced. "Hakakku's the one that asked"

"You know you were thinking the same damn thing!" Hakakku snapped back at his fellow pack mate. The small group of wolves around them let out soft grunts of annoyance. Somehow it always came to this; their masters in an argument about something trivial.

"Cram it you morons!…" Koga growled, rubbing his temples in agitation at the sight of his two second in commands tied up in a scuffle. "It's bad enough I have to search the entire western province for this headache! I don't have time for your crap too!…"

He started growling to himself about the current situation. Two days! Two days and nothing! He only just picked up the pricks scent this morning. "Figures!" he spat, "He's too damn important to waste his time with the concerns of others" he mocked, "Having a home is too beneath his royalty's standards….well he's a royal pain in the…" he mumbled off.

"If it's that much trouble, why keep looking for him?" Ginta scratched his head after lifting himself from the floor.

"Yeah…" Hakakku nodded, also rising from the ground, "Couldn't you have just sent one of our wolves to deliver a message?"

Koga felt a migraine coming on. He knew he should have came alone. "_but oh nooo!" _he overly exaggerated in thought, "_The little miss would have a heart attack…"Don't go alone Koga! Take someone with you Koga!"…nag, nag, nag…"_

He smirked at the thought of his little bride back at home. Ironically however, taking this little mission was a way for him to escape the very object he was now missing. "_Absence makes the heart grow fonder I suppose…"_ he smiled at the thought. That stupid little sentiment was the very thing that the perverted monk had impounded in that mutt face's head when his dear Kagome had gone missing all those years ago. "_Kagome…" _He solemnly thought. The first human, rather the first woman he had ever really loved. He shook away the thought with a smirk. "_…Better to have her as a sister than as nothing… that way our love for each other can still exist…"_

He snapped out of the sentimental crap that was starting to fill his head. "Ok you two boneheads" he ordered out, "Lets hurry it up! I want to find this mutt and get this over with before the sun sets!"

"Isn't that what he would say everyday when we were on the search for Naraku?…" Hakakku whispered to his fellow pack mate.

"Sure was" Ginta huffed back in a whisper, "…We never found him either did we…"

"I heard that you morons!" Koga barked, causing his two companions to jump back. "I could have found that bastard if I wanted too!…" he recalled his reasons for abandoning his quest. "_…I was needed elsewhere…" _

"Now hurry it up!" he spat before rushing up the path again. He picked up the dog's scent again. If he hurried it would lead him right to the arrogant mutt.

Koga's eyes tightened in thought. He remembered when he caught word of Naraku's death. It had been Inuyasha and Sesshomaru that had done it. He wasn't surprised when he heard this. He knew that Inuyasha would see to Naraku's fall. He had counted on it and left the quest with certainty that his peoples' death would be avenged. "…_Even if Kagome wasn't my sister…" _he smiled, "_…That stupid mutt would still be my brother…"_

For that was the real reason that Koga saw it fit to go find Sesshomaru in person now. In a strange way, he considered Sesshomaru a member of his pack as well. It may have been that he shared Inuyasha's blood or the fact that he aided in the death of Naraku, or perhaps that in their interactions the past few years after Naraku's death he had grown fond of the dog. The deep truth was that while the three of them despised each other with a passion, they all knew that they had a connection. Although, the brother's connections ran deeper, that was true. "_So does their hatred for each other come to think of it…"_

Even in their strange new agreement, the two brothers were on edge when around the other. Their old wounds wouldn't heal… and if they would it would take more than the defeat of a mutual enemy.

"_Dogs are idiots…" _he sighed. Nevertheless, he had made an alliance with Sesshomaru shortly after Naraku's death, and that pact had been called upon on a few occasions already. Following Naraku's defeat many demons rose in the hopes of taking over as the new supreme demonic entity. All these uprisings had failed. In most cases all it took was Sesshomaru and Koga to bring it to an end. It was in these battles that their… acquaintanceship… had grown. Despite how foolish it sounded, many demons believed they could conquer the western territory. "_… that human brat he's been watchin' over doesn't help matters… at least he dumped her off with that old hag"_

Having all of the wolf demon tribes as a connection was a smart move on Sesshomaru's end, and luckily for him the wolf prince was now the official spokesman for all of the tribes. Because of his marriage to Ayame and his tactile strategies, Koga was able to create a united wolf demon front and created a strong empire in the process. While it came at the cost of abandoning his search for Naraku, his people had benefited a great deal from the expansion. Sesshomaru agreed to the alliance.

Koga knew that the decision was made not entirely for political reasons. The mutt felt it too. There was a connection. All those lives that Naraku had absentmindedly brought together were connected, and that was why Koga set forth to find the western lord. Something new was upon them, lurking behind the clouds above. He knew what this would mean. They would all need to be brought together again, only to face a new enemy.

"_This time will be different though…"_ Koga thought with a determined look in his cerulean eyes, "_…This time I'll be there…"_

* * *

><p>"Ominous…I suppose" she shrugged indifferently while sipping her tea, not because she didn't care, but it was in her nature to act as such.<p>

Sesshomaru suppressed his urge to kill the woman in front of him…mostly because it was his mother. Had it been anyone else, they would have been dead many a year ago. "That was not my question…" he bit out.

"Wasn't it?" she arched a quizzical brow, before brushing off the glare she was receiving. "At any rate you can't expect me to keep interest on such a mundane subject" she elegantly placed her cup down in an uppity fashion. "Honestly, coming to see your mother after all these years and asking me about the weather? You could be a bit more creative my son… you must get it from your father. My side of the family were far better at carrying an interesting conversation. Well, I was at least…your grandfather did keep a rather tight lip in most…"

"Enough…mother…:" He slowly growled out, barely keeping composure. He decided to start the subject over. Perhaps if he slowly started this conversation he could keep her interested long enough to get his answers. He slowly opened his eyes, his hands relaxed on their respective knees as he sat in front of his mother, who implored they had tea before speaking. "Have you not been residing here in the west for the past seven suns?"

"Yes…" she slowly thought out. "I haven't been terribly busy of late, which is all the more reason you should have paid your dear mother a visit, but oh,… I suppose you are here now…" she gave an unimpressed shrugged. "But you came alone? Where is that imp of yours? Or that little child? Oh well, I suppose she is not so little anymore is she?"

"…" he would have to kill his own mother. There was no other choice.

"But that's right" she continued, "You are wondering about when that strange cloud came, correct?"

"…"

"Yes, well, it has slowly been growing since…well seven suns ago as you say. However, I have always preferred to speak in terms of moons not suns. Honestly son, can you not be clever enough in your tongue to use such wit? You can be so disappointing to your poor mother…"

"The demons in the vicinity" he spat, "What has been said?"

"Come now" she raised a brow, "Do you expect me to fraternize with the common class?" she took another sip of her tea, "Well at any rate they are in a panic. The weather is demonic in nature and their supposed great lord hasn't been around now…has he?"

He knew that was a jab at his expense, but he wisely chose to ignore it. How did his father manage the patience he had when dealing with this woman? He even seemed to love her up to his dieing day…disgusting.

"I suppose you had business elsewhere, hmm? Your father would do the same. Leave the province and expect me to be his eyes and ears. Not that I minded, he was just more appreciative than you. Not even a show of gratitude do I receive nowadays"

He gave an inward sigh. She had a point, a small point. She did serve him while he was in absence, dealing with the boring technicalities that came with a position of royalty. If his father could master patience when dealing with her, then so could he. He took the cup of tea for the first time. "A matter in the northern province required my attention"

"A matter?" she lifted another brow before giving a sophisticated snort " Did you and that wolf friend of yours fight off another uprising? Dealing with wolves. You're your father's son all right…"

"It was a matter of redistributing the boundar-"

"How droll" she cut him off with a sigh, "Here I thought you had a decent reason for leaving during such turbulent times…"

"…You spoke of the matter as being unimportant…" he lowly growled, placing the cup back to the table.

" I said that it was beneath my standards, not that it was unimportant. As the western Lord, this situation is serious indeed…" she gave another indifferent shrug, as if this was too obvious a conversation and boring her.

He let his lids slowly close as he rose, his fists tightening at his side. His father could win in the patience department, he no longer cared. It was his fault for coming here in the first place. He was starting to remember why these visits would be once every decade or so. He headed towards the exit.

"I'll tell you this" she softly cooed after her son, as if she didn't care if he chose not to hear. He paused, looking over his shoulders for her to continue. When she acted in such a self-important way it meant she had significant information.

She took her time in finishing her sentence, savoring her tea. She savored that fact that he needed her even more, and truth be told she found him positively adorable when he was agitated. It reminded her of when he was a pup. How she secretly missed those days, and now he stood her warrior, her lord.

"The last time this cloud appeared was 500yrs ago" she began, "…It required your fathers immediate attention, and if that is what has returned it will take more than that pretty new sword of yours to bring victory… what has returned is far more vengeful and dangerous than what your father had faced"

He let her words sink in. He remembered an almost forgotten fact about his mother. She was indeed a very clever woman, and hid that fact tactfully well. There were times, when her words would hold deep significance. Like all the elders he dealt with however, they never offered free answers. Rather, they dared him to learn the truth on his own; constantly testing him. That was what his mother was doing now. She gave him a clue and expected him to deal with the rest. Perhaps she believed that a small clue was all he needed to succeed. Either way, she was now done with the subject, and he couldn't spend another minute in her company. With a small snort of what was most likely gratitude he left his mother.

She stared at the exit Sesshomaru had taken. A look of concern filled her face when he left. "_…be careful my son…"_

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading! Reviews are always appreciated. I'll have the next chapter up soon<strong>

**Much Love,**

**Merky15**


	3. Peculiar Friendships

**Peculiar Friendships**

"PUT ME DOWN AT ONCE!" The imp yelled in furry, as he was lifted in an undignified manner by the back of his collar. The wolf demon smirked, at the over exaggerated behavior. There was something about watching his prey squirm that excited him…"_Must be primal instincts or something"_

Ginta and Hakakku rolled their eyes at their leader. Did this have to happen every time? It was bad enough that they were terrified of the western lord, but Koga didn't need to purposely anger him at their every meeting. Fussing with his servants was one of Koga's favorites however, and since Sesshomaru wasn't here to defend him it was getting worse.

The imp swung his staff in a failed attempt to hit his captor. "DAMN YOU MANGY WOLF! JUST YOU WAIT TILL LORD…"

"What?" Koga cut in with a deep laugh, "Is that supposed to scare me? Do you think I'm afraid of that overgrown puppy?"

"How dare you insult my lord!"

He gave the imp another firm shake, laughing when his eyes began to spin, "Now tell me where the hell he is?"

"And here I thought you could sink no lower" a deep familiar voice began. As usual it gave nothing away with its somber tone.

With another smirk, Koga let the imp slip away from his fingers and onto the dirt below. He turned around to the owner of the voice. The very demon he had been pursuing casually walked his way. "_Figures he'd be the one to find me… can't surprise this one…"_

"Well, well, well" the wolf began, "Look who decided to show up. Where have you been? You only ditch the frog when you have something important to do"

"I am not a frog! And that is not true!" Jaken protested angrily, jumping up and down to be seen. "I am constantly at my lord's side! Most especially in times of importance!"

"Is that so?" Koga scoffed, "Then why weren't you with him just now?"

"Obviously my lord wanted privacy as he was paying his great lord mother a vis-"

A firm rock landed against the imp's head, silencing him as he fell. Sesshomaru softened his glare. There was no need for the wolf to see how agitated he really was. For some reason this wolf enjoyed getting a rise out of him and he was not in the mood to beat him to a pulp.

"…your mother?" Koga slowly pieced together Jaken's words before letting out a deep laugh, "I never peg you as a mama's boy dog!"

"I am nothing of the sort" he sourly bit out. The falsity of that comment stung the most. He was far too busy at the moment to hear such foolishness. In great strides he walked past the laughing wolf leader, firmly stepping on his servant as he did so. He stopped in front of the two wolf followers with a fixed glare. "Move."

Noticing the fierceness in his expression the two wolves quickly grasped onto each other in a panic, refusing to open their eyes. "Please don't kill us!"

Sesshomaru suppressed an eye roll at the cowards to his left. At least Jaken wasn't as useless as these fools. He didn't understand why Koga had even kept their company… what could they possibly accomplish?

"That's enough you two!" Koga shook his head in disappointment, just getting over his laughter. "Some wolves….pathetic little…" he mumbled to himself as he roughly pried them away from their grasp on each other. After noting that they were now standing in a dignified way, he landed a firm fist against each head. "Idiots!" he spat as they hit the floor.

Sesshomaru watched the scene without a word. If they had been his vassals he would have killed them for such impudence… or at least he had in the past. Were things really that different now?

Koga's voice called him back to reality. "We need to talk dog"

"In what regards?"

"Don't play dumb. You know very well what this is all about Sesshomaru" he bit out walking to the dog's front. He hated how the dog was a good amount taller than himself, and being so close to him emphasized this point. "What's with the strange weather?"

"Oh yeah but when he asks it its not a dumb question" Hakakku whispered haughtily to Ginta.

Sesshomaru's eyes shifted to the demonic cloud above, it hadn't stopped growing since he returned. As soon as he took note of it he had been searching for its source; to no avail. He decided to speak to his mother about the effects it had been having on the province, but that brought little results. All he knew now was that this demonic aura had accumulated once before, some 500yrs ago. He hadn't even been alive at the time. He needed to speak to someone who was.

"Spit it out mutt" Koga crossed his arms, still remaining calm. He had learned that speaking to this particular dog did require a great deal of patience, not that it was easy for a wolf to have any. However, Koga noticed that Sesshomaru always took his time before answering, unless he was in battle. His mind worked exceptionally quick in those cases. "What do you know about it?"

Sesshomaru looked away from the clouds and to the young wolf at his front. "It appeared once before…" he stated before walking off. Koga watched him in silence, waiting for him to finish. "500yrs ago"

"_He knows where he's going…or he's hell a good at pretending he does" _Koga smirked. He turned to his two allies, "Get a move on, will ya? We don't have all day!" with that he headed off towards the slow striding dog's side. If he didn't know any better he would have thought the dog was waiting for him to reach his side before picking up his pace.

"But Koga!…" Ginta called after him

"Where are we going now?" Hakakku finished, but Koga didn't bother to look back. Jaken finally pushed himself off the ground, snickering at the two pouting wolf demons. "Don't you two know anything?"

"What?" they asked in unison

"You're lucky if they tell you where their going" he began in a cocky way, while grabbing the reins of Ah-Un. "They never pay you any mind. It's your job to follow"

"Since when don't we have a say?" Ginta scowled

"Ya, Koga's always kept us in the loop… well usually…sometimes…" Hakakku trailed off.

"Ha!" Jaken spat, "Well, now _your Koga's _traveling with Lord Sesshomaru so…" at the mention of his lord's name he immediately recalled how far his master had traveled ahead of him. In a panic he scurried after him. "Wait Lord Sesshomaru! I'm coming!"

"You don't think…" Ginta began

"…That Koga would turn into Sesshomaru?" Hakakku finished with a small twitch to his brow.

"No, no, no. Of course he wouldn't" Ginta waved away the idea with a nervous laugh, "That's just silly. Koga would never treat us the way Sesshomaru treats that Jaken"

"Right" Hakakku responded with an equally nervous chuckle. He turned to Ginta for approval, "…Right?"

An image of Koga staring down with a fierce glare matching that of Sesshomaru's entered Ginta's head. He took a deep gulp before shakily turning back to Hakakku. "… R-Right…"

**Inuyasha will be making his appearance next. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	4. A Demon Lord and His Human Child

**A Demon Lord and His Human Child**

"Hey kid, are you stupid or something?" The rough familiar voice barked to the young thirteen year old child who was shaking in the cold terrain. It was deep in winter time, and unusually colder than normal. He looked over the forest's horizon, there was something in the clouds. Something strange…slightly demonic? It was too far away to tell, but it was headed their way. He'd find out soon enough he decided, and he would be ready.

She ignored the harsh tone in his voice. He had the bad habit of chiding those that he secretly cared for, so she learned long ago from Kagome. She waited until he appeared beside her, just on the outskirts of the woods. "He's not gonna come any time soon" he spoke slightly gentler.

She nodded, "I know, but I like to pretend that he will"

"He told you it would be a few weeks until he returns from the village"

She smiled, "Well what if he finishes sooner?"

"Kohaku? That klutz return early from a mission?" he snorted

The young girl wanted to get angry at the comment, but knew he has right. She tried hard to fight away the giggles that came. "Leave him alone Inuyasha""Ya well, at any rate it's freezing out here, and I got Kagome on my case about you"

"It's not that bad…"she spoke while fiercely rubbing her arms up and down her skin to keep the warm in. "I've seen worse"

It was true. When she was younger and had traveled with him, she would see many cold nights. Most of the time she would have to sleep out in the wilderness, make her own fire, find her own warmth, but she never minded it. She didn't mind because he was there; her hero. He always had been, and when the winter nights came she would sneak ever so lightly next to him as he slept; kept warm under his pelt. He never made an objection to this, and when she got older she realized she wasn't being sneaky. He had always been awake when she had done this, but he allowed it.

He would always do this. Pretend he was indifferent to her plight, but do what he could to lessen it. She remembered the new attire he would bring for her during the winter nights. Without eye contact he would simply say; "Here"

She would always light up at his gifts, despite Jaken's assurances that is was simply so she wouldn't slow them down. Even then she knew the truth, he was her protector, her guardian…her father. How she missed him…

She remembered when she was first separated from him, and forced to live in this village with Inuyasha. She would sneak out at night just to sleep outside; like she had done before. She secretly hoped she would wake up and everything would go back to how it was, with him watching over her as she slept. She wondered if he ever wished for the same thing. Inuyasha would yell at her every morning he would find her, and throw a blanket at her simply saying, "Here!", When she looked up for an explanation, he would simply say, "I don't have time for you getting sick brat, ok!"

She would send him a smile, because despite what he would say, she knew. Perhaps that was why she found herself so close to Inuyasha. Both brother's spoke through their actions, and words meant nothing. That was why she stopped talking so long ago…what was the point? Everyone would say how sorry they were, or spout fake promises of assistance…or promise not to harm your loved ones if you simply complied, but it was all lies. How ironic that it was in demons she found her voice again. That they would show their feelings in action, and not falsify in voice. Her lord never forced her to speak. She at one point thought that he too lost his voice, due to his silence. Why would he not speak? Was he looking for his voice too?

She had awoken one night after having another nightmare. The wolves had been chasing her and she was desperately trying to make it into her mother's arms. The faster she ran the further her mother appeared, until she fell and the wolves fell upon her. She quickly opened her eyes to find that she was alone. No, the little green man was there and so was the two headed dragon…she told herself she would ride him one day. They seemed to like her. She looked around in silence, but noticed he wasn't there. Did he leave? Would he come back? She suddenly felt very alone, and the fire was almost out. The coldness came again…

A loud clink caught her attention. She thought she imagined it, but it sounded off again. She looked to the still slumbering demons, a large snot bubble coming out of the loud green man. Quietly, she decided upon following the sound. Silently she rose and walked towards the forest.

She hid behind a large tree to capture, in hiding, the cause of the sound. It was her hero, but he looked different. It was always there, and she wondered if anyone had ever noticed it before. He stood with his sword held out, examining the blade under the moonlight. She remembered that the little green man had said the sword had brought her back to life, in one of his rants.

His claws tightened on the hilt and crashed the blade against a poor tree. She cringed at the loud screech the sword let out. It sounded as if it was crying. She looked at the mark it had made, and her eyes widened in awe as the tree quickly healed itself as if no mark was made. She smiled at the sword's ability, and looked back into his eyes…she saw it again.

He found no joy in the weapon. Yes, there was anger, but that wasn't what made her frown. _"He's sad…"_

He slowly let his eyes open once more to examine the mocking blade. A being as powerful as he was, made to carry a weapon that made him look weak. "Your existence is a disgrace Tensaiga…" he seethed out. Her small hands tightened on the bark. Perhaps she shouldn't have been there. He didn't seem to notice her as he continued in a soft rage.

"You serve against me. For what I wish to destroy…you restore. So, it seems I stay at this impasse and therefore can not rise above it; my rightful…destiny!" Yet again the sword clashed against the tree in futility. The sword rang out. Was he punishing the Tensaiga?

He remained there for a moment, with his sword against the tree. His body slowly relaxed as the tree healed yet again. His eyes remained closed as he spoke to no one. "Did you intend for this? Your fang inhibits my ascension…and thus I am bound here" his body tightened once again. "I care not for your protection" he growled as he once again let the sword hit the large tree.

His damage was mocked with the healing of the bark. Only now he left the Tensaiga there, stuck between the healing tree. Perhaps he thought it was deserving. The sword refused to follow his orders of destruction, so it was left to be healed over by the bark. But what if he wanted to retrieve it again? Not that it looked like he wanted to.

She watched as his back faced the tree and his gaze turned to the stars above. He stood there in silence for several minutes. What was he thinking of? "Father" he whispered, "…I don't…understand"

She could tell it was hard for him to admit such a thing by the way he awkwardly phrased his words, but she didn't understand. What did his father do? Did her lord not want the sword? But wasn't that the reason she was alive? He didn't speak again, and she dared not to move. He looked like a statue, and she wondered if he had indeed fallen asleep. Could demons fall asleep standing up?

From what she could understand, his father had given him the sword, Tensaiga? And he didn't want it…maybe he didn't know what good it could do? Maybe it couldn't cut down the tree he wanted, but it could fix things. It must have been magic she decided. If it could bring her back to life, maybe it could make him smile…and take the sad eyes away.

She had to show him the good it could do, after all he helped take her sad eyes away. He made her smile. With a self determined nod she walked towards the trapped blade. She didn't notice the glare of contempt that he had sent the intrusion, or the slight raised brow he gave her when he realized who it was. Truth be told he was so enthralled with his own thoughts he hadn't noticed the visitor.

He opened his mouth to question the child, but froze when he pieced together what she was doing. With one small foot planted firmly against the base of the tree, she tried desperately to free the trapped Tensaiga. He knew it was futile, but was curious to see how long she would try. She fell a few times with unspoken thuds. The girl had yet spoken, and pain seemed to be nothing to her. Surely her hands would blister at the rate she was going…but then again why should he care? Strange, that the actions disturbed him ever so slightly. Yet in silence he watched as the girl would tug desperately on the hilt of the blade, and fall hard to the ground at every failure.

With slow curious steps, he found his way towards the trunk of the familiar tree, but his presence went ignored. She was oblivious to the fact that he was analyzing her actions. The girl was a stubborn one. Did she perhaps form a connection to the blade? Did she know the powers it possessed? Maybe she thought she could steal it now that he discarded it. For shear curiosity, he decided, he would put an end to the girl's struggling.

In a graceful motion his claws touched the trunk of the large magnolia, and he took secret delight at how it was finally scarred. Green smoke eased into the bark, and burnt a passage for the Tensaiga. The girl fell back with a thud with Tensaiga grasped firmly in her small fingers. She smiled at her success and slowly looked up to see the sword's owner. He looked forcefully uninterested in the circumstance, but his fixed and slow blinking gaze told her otherwise.

The sadness was put on hold and now he was wondering what she was doing. She stood quickly with the heavy weapon with her, and awkwardly held it out to him. He made no movements. She looked from the sword to him, motioning for him to take it…He made no movements. She looked down and slowly opened her mouth in an awkward way; testing it. She made a soft humming sound…a moan…a whimper?

His head turned ever so slightly at the strange sounds the child made. She noticed this and smiled. He was waiting for her. "Lo…"

A brow slowly perked on the demon lord's face. Was she attempting to speak?

"Lor-"

She felt the Tensaiga pulse in her palms as she took a deep breath. She smiled at the way it tickled. He noticed this and stopped his eyes from giving away any trace of surprise. Why was Tensaiga reacting to this girl?

"Lord…Lord….Ses-sho-maru" she pronounced. She had heard the green man say it many times, and hoped it was the right way to address him. He gave her a nod of acknowledgment and she smiled knowing she was correct in his title. "Lord Sesshomaru!" she spoke with more confidence. She held out the sword higher, almost losing her balance, "Ten-saiga…"

He reached for the blade gently; watching as it pulsed in delight. He wasn't sure if it was because he hadn't left it behind, or because of the foolish grinning girl below. "Girl?" he spoke as he examined the strange sword once again. "Do you yet own a name?…"

She looked down at the question and he nodded. "It's inconsequential" he decided as he placed away the blade. She smiled as he did so, and he watched as her eyes lit up at the action. Did she believe he was to abandon his father's cursed artifact? Or that she convinced him otherwise? A small smirk fell on his face at the thought. That his decisions would be altered but such a ridiculous notion. He noticed that her grin did not falter as she dusted off the dirty rags she still wore. His eyes fell to notice the bruises that remained on her person. Such a strange child…why did she show no fear of him?

She wanted to tell him more, but there was not much else to say. She wanted him to keep his sword and to smile. The magic sword granted her wishes, for he did both.

The next morning she was awoken to him standing over her. Looking away into the distance he spoke, "Here…"

With eyes full of wonder, she looked from his mystery to his outstretched hand. Was he referring to her? The loud yells from the green man confirmed it. "Don't just stand there fool! Lord Sesshomaru wishes for you to take his generous gift!"

_A gift? _She blinked in comprehension, before delight once again framed her entire being. With careful hands she slowly took hold of the orange fabric. Unfolding it, she saw the orange kimono it transformed into. The silk was so beautiful, and it was for her? It was for her! Her gap tooth smile led to laughter and a quick paced dance with the garments, where she spun herself in circles of admiration.

She stopped when the familiar reprimand squawking interrupted her, "Foolish girl! Thank our-"

"Enough Jaken" was her lord's firm answer. She was surprised at how quickly the imp was silenced, and once again for her sake. She tried to find word's to show how much the gift meant to her, but she was sad when she couldn't. Lowering her gift she sadly sulked away leaving her lord to wonder.

"Jaken" he spoke, watching the imp jump into attention, "You will accompany the girl to the stream…see her attire is adhered to"

"But m'lor-"

With a hardened look from his lord, the imp quickly snapped out of his doubts and jumped to his orders with a few apologetic bows. She quietly followed after the imp, hearing her lord's commands.

At the stream, she quietly listened to the imp, washing her face as instructed, destroying the old garments, applying the new ones as ordered. He even yelled at her about the condition of her hair, and using the brush for the dragon's mane, was able to fix her tangled locks. "It's bad enough my lord has to see you" Jaken scolded, "But seeing you parade as a filthier human is an eye sore, and my lord…."

His words faded out as the imp brushed her hair, surprisingly gently. He must have had experience caring for the dragons…which explained why they would roll their eyes whenever he spoke. She found his jabbering comical in a way. She thought on his words. He said her lord didn't like seeing her dirty…is that why he got her such nice clothing? She had so many questions about him…

"You should thank him at the very least girl… girl? Are you even listening to me?"

She turned to meet his gaze and sent him a smile. "Here" he bit out as he gave her a mirror. Again she danced in delight at her reflection. She looked as pretty as her mother would make her when she did her hair. He even left the small ponytail on her side. Then she remembered something. Her mother would always get upset when she was dirty too.

She returned and watched to see if her lord was happy with the results. He made no movements and his expression didn't change. Sitting quietly against the tree's base, he sent a quick glance to his companions, and went back to his casual staring. The girl let out another toothy grin, to the confusion of the company. She knew he was happy with the results.

The next day she woke up to the sound of birds singing. With a large stretch she noticed that she was alone with the dragons. They watched her curiously. It was their first time alone together and they were not sure what to make of her. Although, they did admit they enjoyed the energy she let out. It was different than the usual killer silence of Sesshomaru and aggravating noise of Jaken.

She looked back to the trees to find the bird who was making the prettiest noise. She stopped when she noticed a silent one. Sitting alone on a branch was a small finch. She wondered why it was all alone when the others were far higher in the branches making nests. She pouted when she saw that each was singing to another one a happy tune. Was it lonely? Or was it waiting for someone too? It eyed her curiously as she watched him. She nodded to herself as she licked her lips a little.

The dragons turned their heads at what they were watching. At first they thought the girl must have sneezed, it was a small high pitch squeak, but it grew in strength ever so softly. In rhythm they walked towards the girl; sitting directly behind her to get a better view.

She made no movement at their actions and continued with a smirk on her face. Bouncing her head back and forth she began humming her own tune to the small bird, who responded with one of his own. The bird's tune grew stronger to match the girl's. Soon, he caught the attention of another fair finch, and the girl smiled as the two flew off together. The dragon was saddened by the girl's return to silence, and began huffing in protest. The girl smiled at this. Did they enjoy her song? She let out a small hum to test her theory. The massive tail boomed in delight as they huffed in approval. The girl laughed as the warm air hit her face and she rubbed their heads gently, while continuing her small song.

Sesshomaru watched in amazement as his stead laid their heads in full submission to the girl's touch. Their eyes closed at the sound of her soft humming. Jaken mumbled at the foolishness of it all, and Sesshomaru wished he could remain still to watch the scene a moment longer. For when the girl caught sight of them her song slowly came to an end, and he wouldn't tell her what he thought of it.

The dragon's attention called her to reality and she saw her lord return. She didn't wish to interrupt his thoughts so she stopped her song, to the beast's great dislike. They even 'accidentally' whacked Jaken with their tail when he made a remark about how silly the girl was.

"Ah-Un" Sesshomaru spoke. All eyes turned to him for further clarification. (The beasts in particularly; scared they had upset their lord). Amber eyes turned to show he was addressing the child, "That are their names…"

She nodded as she once again nuzzled their heads; smiling as a warm tongue met her cheek. If only she could tell them her name.

Ah and Un had grown very fond of the girl, and had proven very protective of her. Even though she now slept against them and rode upon them, she would still awaken and watch her lord. How she wanted to thank him for everything, but why couldn't she?

He would never force her voice though, and his lips were almost as tight as hers. She didn't feel so alone with that thought. He was the same as her in a way, but the thought made her sad. She curled into Ah-Un. She hated not having a voice and not being able to tell him what she thought. She was lonely and she didn't think anyone would listen. She was scared to speak. She didn't think it mattered. So, why didn't he speak? Why was he sad? She sat up and found herself staring at his passive face. _Was he asleep?_

"Why do you stare at me girl?"

Maybe not. She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again. She then realized the major difference. At least he could speak, even if it was very little.

"I do not have time for you lagging behind" he began in what she could tell was false annoyance, "Sleep"

The order was clear, but she wasn't ready to sleep. Not when she had so many questions. Her eyes made her way back to her lord in wonderment. He saved her. He brought her back to life with the Tensaiga, but he hated Tensaiga. He barely talked, and hated it whenever he did. He wanted to see her clean. He smiled at her once, and sometimes his eyes didn't look sad when she smiled or…when she spoke. Was he happy when she was happy? Or maybe he didn't understand her…and that took his mind of other things.

Lord Sesshomaru gave her back her smile…she needed to give him one. Sesshomaru made her happy, and she would do the same for her lord. She couldn't hide her smile anymore. She had a job to do, and she wanted to do it more than ever. She wanted to be by her lord's side, she wanted to smile with him, she wanted to laugh again, and oh how she wanted to thank him for everything he did for her.

Without noticing she had been slowly crawling closer to her lord. His eyes were fully open now in confusion. What was she doing? He was going to question her, but as always was too curious to interrupt her actions. She stopped when he reached his full front, and she began fidgeting with something in her kimono.

With a nod of confidence to herself and a bright smile she pulled something out, and delicately held it out for her lord. Sesshomaru watched without movement as the small girl pulled out a yellow daisy and held it before him, as she had done before with the Tensaiga. Doing a quick survey he noticed that the others were still in slumber, and he returned his eyes on the young child. "What do you expect me to do with that?"

She shot her eyes down in a moment of self doubt, and as soon as she had he regretted his words. Had he insulted her? As if it would concern him, but he hated that it did ever so slightly. Perhaps she proved as delicate as the now slightly wilting flower. He couldn't find words to take back the comment, and told himself he had no desire to. Instead, in silence he turned his head away from the motion. The child would no doubt return to the dragon in defeat of her gesture

"It's…a present Lord Sesshomaru…"

His heart skipped a small beat at the sound. Had the girl spoken? It was a foolish question, his ears heard it perfectly. In a perfectly audible voice she had spoken, and even sounded delighted when speaking his name. Her eyes continued to sparkle, as if no doubt ever resided in them, and the flower was held out higher for his claws to grasp.

He didn't speak…or he couldn't find anymore suitable words. He wasn't fond of repeating himself…but he had no use of such a worthless thing.

"To thank you" she smiled and held it closer to his being, where he could now smell the sweet perfume it carried…only it was mixed in with her scent now.

"Not necessary"

"Rin, picked it special for you my lord…I…"

The small self doubt was there again. Something was troubling her…and he was…curious as to what it was. It wasn't as if he could really care about the dilemmas of a human child. Ridiculous…but he stopped as something else she said struck his attention.

"I…" she continued, "I thought you would like it…"

She felt pride as the words kept coming out. It was easy when she saw her lord's eyes. The more she spoke the more the sadness left him, and the more she wanted to speak. He was staring at the flower. He didn't understand. He was funny that way. He was the greatest person and the smartest person, but he didn't know what to do when someone was nice to him…maybe he wasn't use to it. She held out the flower again. "…because it's pretty" she smiled.

He looked at the blissful gleam in the girl's eyes, and the drooping flower; The flower that she thought was pretty and plucked for him. Had she been carrying it all day; building the courage to give it to him? When did she find the resolve? When did she find her voice?

Slowly his claws extended towards the small trinket, and ever so gently he received it from the girl's grasp. If only to keep her from returning into silence he would take it. He didn't have time to care for a mentally instable child after all. She had a purpose for the time being, in carrying for Ah-Un. The stead seemed to be very taken with her. He looked at the strange flower and then to the girl…perhaps there was some significance in the imperfect flower of the bush. "So…" he began, snapping the girl out of her pointless smiling, "Rin…that is your name then?"

"Yes my lord" she gave a single strong nod with her smile.

Looking to the stars he found his voice. "Hmmm" he gently hummed to himself. "Sleep, We leave with the sun…Rin"

Hearing the gentle tone in which he spoke her name, hearing someone finally speak her name after so long a time, she felt warm. Her smile remained throughout their entire first conversation. She nodded at his command and watched as he still held her gift. Without speaking a word she leaned against the same tree he had been resting against, and without saying a word she let her head fall against the thick warm pelt he wore.

Momentarily stunned by the audacity of the child he made no movements against her, and when he turned to the child readying a glare…none came out. She appeared to be in slumber, even though he knew she was not. Again he noticed that sleep consumed the others, and fighting a sigh of defeat allowed her to rest against him, but only for this single night he reassured to himself. This would not be a regular occurrence.

Staring at the small trinket, he decided that burning it would be the best option. However, there was no rush. Giving it a turn of evaluation for a final time, he placed the object within his kimono. He would destroy it on his own convenience.

The small girl giggled to herself as she saw this, and quickly closed her eyes as she saw two golden ones turn towards her. He stopped another sigh as he pretended he did not see the large brown eyes, or feel the small heaves of happiness come from the small bundle wrapped beneath his fur.

Now Rin stood at thirteen, awaiting the return of another important figure in her life; Kohaku. Still, not a day would pass when she did not think of her lord. How she missed him. She laughed at the memories, and felt the coldness strike her face. She was so much warmer back in those days; back when he was near.

On their last encounter, he said he had business to see in the northern province, but that was days ago. He usually came to see her as soon as he returned. Maybe he was still busy…or he forgot her. That fear would pester her every now and then…even though she knew the foolishness of it.

"I don't have time for this" Inuyasha mumbled to himself, "Either you get inside or-!"

"Ok" she smiled brightly. Grasping his hand she pulled him back towards the village. He awkwardly followed, not sure how it turned to him being forced inside. Rolling his eyes he followed after the weird girl, who was most comfortable when around demons. She was Sesshomaru's kid alright.

Five years had past since her childhood days of travel. The new one her lord granted her was safe and secure…only colder. Her grip tightened on Inuyasha's hand. She was grateful he was there. She knew that her two men would visit her soon enough, but right now she couldn't keep her Inuyasha worried.

* * *

><p><strong>Couldn't resist doing this flashback integration. I also like to imagine the relationship Rin and Inuyasha would have. During the early years preceding Naraku's defeat both had lost a loved one to an extent. Perhaps they would have depended on the other…<strong>

**Thanks so much for reading. I'll update soon! Reviews are appreciated.**

**Much Love,**

**Merky15 **


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